BOSTON — Manger Joe Girardi said he didn't know Michael Pineda had pine tar on his neck when he was on the mound in Wednesday night's 5-1 loss to the Red Sox.
Pineda was ejected from the game in the second inning. It happened after Red Sox manager John Farrell told home plate umpire Gerry Davis to check Pineda, who had been accused to having pine tar on his hand against Boston on April 10.

Pineda didn't have it on him in the first inning, Girardi said. The manger also said he wasn't upset with Pineda, who will likely be suspended by Major League Baseball.

"No, I'm not going to get mad at him," he said. "The kid's doing the best he can, trying to compete, trying to make pitches."

Girardi said Pineda was having a "hard time gripping the ball." He said he didn't believe the 25-year-old was trying to gain an unfair advantage.

"He's a young kid," Girardi said. "I don't think he's doing anything to cheat. I think he's trying to compete. It's unfortunate it happened. As I said, we'll get through it. We'll deal with it. It's a little bump in the road."

Girardi also said he spoke with Pineda, who "feels bad. He feels like he let his teammates down."

The last time Pineda was caught with a substance on him — he said it was dirt; most believed it was pine tar — the Red Sox didn't notify the umpires. Girardi said he spoke with Pineda after the incident, but didn't specify whether it was about using a substance.

"That's what we do," he said. "We don't ignore situations. We handle situations and that's something Michael chose do to after the first inning."

Girardi said he didn't know Farrell was planning to tell Davis about Pineda's pine tar until he saw Davis look at Pineda.

He added that he'll speak with Major League Baseabll about Rule No. 8:02, which says a pitcher can't put any kind of substance on the ball.

"You're at the highest level," he said. "You want safety. I'm going to talk with Major League Baseball. I have no idea."

Girardi was also asked why he shoved ESPN's camera out of the way when it was trained on Pineda, pitching coach Larry Rothschild and trainer Phil Donahue in the tunnel attached to the Yankees' dugout.

Girardi said he did it because ESPN didn't have the right to view inside the tunnel.

"I think MLB is going to have a problem with ESPN going into the tunnel," he said. "I didn't break the camera. I just kept it from going into the tunnel. You guys are acting like I ripped it apart."